Okay.. like everything else that sounds too good to be true… so was the cauliflower recipe.

Here’s the thing.

Cauliflower is dense. 30 minutes… 50 minutes… 1 hour in an oven just isn’t going to heat deep enough through all that bulk to do anything more than softening up the outer lobes a bit… and heat the center….maybe.

All in all – cooking time was 1 hour and 20 minutes at 375. I then turned off the oven and let the head rest in there for another 15 minutes. In hind sight, I probably should have parboiled the head in salted water first for 10 minutes… or microwaved the head for 3 to 4 minutes… or cooked the damned thing in a covered dutch oven – then the listed cooking times would have possibly come closer to working…. but not one of the existing recipes out there even suggested that.

So, you heard it here first… pre-cook the friggin’ cauliflower.

I will have to say, though… after it’s thoroughly cooked… it IS a thing of wonder. Roasting brings out a subtle sweetness and eliminates all of the cabbage y funk. It’s almost meaty and would work perfectly as the start of a Meatless Monday dinner or brunch.

Directions:

1. Trim off the outer leaves and bottom stalk so that your head will sit flat on the sheet pan

2. In each bowl, mix together the marinade and the topping – set aside

3. Place the head in the boiling salted water and parboil for 10 minutes – cool on a rack. Once cool, add the head and marinade to the large zipper bag, coat the head well and allow to sit for 2 hours.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 . Place the head (core side down) on a lightly oiled, foil lined sheet pan and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour – or until the center of the head is knife tender.

5. Coat the entire head with the topping and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Cut into wedges and serve with a large garden salad

To be all legal & legitimate… I paid for my own subscription to Raw Spice Bar, and I’m not particularly beholden to them to make nice about their product. They are – however – extremely nice folks with a cool concept and great spice blends. And, you really ought to give them a try.